When working to show constituents back home they are fighting hard in Tallahassee, a direct flow of state cash to a big regional water project can often do the trick.

“Water projects are sort of the meat and potatoes sometimes of what members hear from their constituents back home,” Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, told reporters. “Working on a list of water projects is often difficult.”

As budget talks enter their final stages, the House and Senate remain $13 million apart on their proposed water project spending. At $56.3 million, the House’s spending blueprint is larger.

Regionally, the Senate has proposed $100,000 for Spanish Creek restoration, $900,000 for a Caloosahatchee River project, and $761,250 for an Alico Road project. Each of those projects is in Lee County.

No Collier County projects made the cut.

Beer bill sponsor getting threats

The beer fight that has grabbed many headlines throughout legislative session is starting to get personal for state Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.

Many in the craft beer industry loathe a bill she is sponsoring, and have voiced their displeasure. They decry a provision that would require craft brewers to distribute their product through a distributor, and then buy back their product before selling it.

Supporters of the measure say current law doesn’t allow breweries to sell directly to customers, so craft brewers have an exemption from Florida’s current beer regulatory structure.

The battle has been heated. Stargel said there have been attacks on her personal Facebook page, on Twitter, and changes have been made to her Wikipedia page, which now mentions that she received $6,000 in campaign contributions from beer distributors.

“The amount of unprofessionalism and the language and the intimidation has been a lot,” she said.

Speed limit increase bill accelerates toward adoption

A bill that could result in higher speeds on Florida highways was passed Thursday by the Florida Senate.

The measure (SB 392) was approved by a vote of 27-11, with Democrats and Republicans opposing.

Any increase on a given stretch of highway would happen only if state traffic engineers determine the roadway is safe enough for a higher speed.

State law now allows for 70 mph on interstates, 65 mph for highways with a divided median and 60 mph on certain other roadways. Under the bill, all of these limits could be raised by 5 mph.

Under the bill, the maximum highway speed limit could rise to 75 mph. Florida last bumped the state speed limit to 70 mph in 1996.